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On Aug. 22, 2003, Scott Drew assumed the head coaching position at Baylor University and took over one of the most daunting rebuilding projects in collegiate basketball history. Four years into his Baylor tenure, basketball followers nationwide have recognized Drew's accomplishments under unprecedented obstacles as he and his staff have carefully built their program on a solid foundation of young, talented student-athletes. The Baylor faithful have seen glimpses of the program's potential and are encouraged by the team's no-quit playing style and never-ending optimism of their energetic, fifth-year head coach. Drew's recruiting success (three of his first four classes were rated top 20 nationally), particularly under less-than-ideal circumstances, has stocked the program with top-100 national prospects and provided optimism to Bears fans. Long considered a top-level national recruiter, Drew's reputation was upheld immediately upon his arrival in Waco when his first three Baylor recruiting classes were rated 10th, 11th and 17th, respectively, in the nation (widely considered Baylor's top consecutive recruiting classes ever). The three-player 2007 class, while not ranked among the nation's top 20, did include the school's highest-ranked recruit in memory - LaceDarius Dunn, ranked 24th nationally by Scout.com. The Bears have made positive strides on the court as well, although they haven't accumulated high numbers of wins - yet. Drew's 2006-07 squad was his most successful to date, as a team loaded with freshmen and sophomores played a full schedule and with a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in four seasons and posted a 15-16 record - Baylor's most wins in six years. The Bears finished the season with three wins in their final six games, and increased their competitiveness in conference games - evidenced by the fact that eight of 12 league losses were by 10 points or less (in 2005-06 BU lost nine Big 12 games by 15 points or more). In his first season in 2003-04, Drew inherited a team with half the allotted scholarship players and he added a handful of walk-ons. The team - which was summarily dismissed by all preseason prognosticators as having no chance to be competitive and perhaps finish winless - surprised everyone by winning eight games, including three Big 12 Conference contests. Drew and his overachieving Bears finished the season 8-21 and won over Baylor fans and basketball fans alike with their scrappy play and no-quit attitudes. The team exceeded all expectations and Drew was praised for his efforts and mentioned in Big 12 Coach of the Year discussions. In his second season in 2004-05 Drew took the court with the nation's most inexperienced team, with just one returning scholarship player. The Bears fought their way to a better record than the previous season, 9-19, including an impressive 73-72 road upset at Purdue. In his third season in 2005-06 Drew's Bears overcame perhaps their biggest challenge to date, when despite being banned from playing any non-conference games (due to violations of the previous coaching staff), Drew's very young Baylor squad defied the odds and won four Big 12 games (matching its conference win total from the previous two seasons) and finished the abbreviated season 4-13. The Bears played through the early season handicap and made news in the latter half of the season with noticeably improved play, evidenced by wins in two of the final four games (two losses by a combined seven points) and wins in four of their final five home contests. Success in the basketball world runs strong in the Drew family - from Scott (head coach at Baylor) and brother Bryce (former NBA player and current Valparaiso associate head coach) to father Homer (head coach at Valparaiso). Drew came to Baylor after a decade of coaching at Valparaiso, the final year as head coach. He led the Crusaders to a 20-11 record and into the NIT in 2002-03. Valpo earned the Mid-Continent Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 league record in 2003. The previous nine seasons, Drew served as an assistant at Valpo under his father, the legendary Homer Drew. He was promoted to associate head coach for the 2001-02 season. Drew coached his father's 200th win at Valpo (against Oakland on Jan. 27, 2001) when Homer was ill. In 10 seasons at Valpo, Scott Drew helped lead the program to six NCAA Tournament berths, including the magical 1997-98 squad that shocked the nation by advancing to the Sweet 16. Valpo made five straight NCAA appearances from 1996-2000. The younger Drew was responsible for three national top-20 recruiting classes during his last five years at Valpo. Drew was named the 1998-99 National Recruiter of the Year by Court Vision and helped produce what HoopScoop.com named the nation's sixth-best recruiting class in 2001 (per average talent), the 13th-best in 1999 (per average talent) and the 27th-best in 2003 (per average talent), a class that included three top 100 national recruits. Drew was part of the coaching staff that led Valpo to nine straight Mid-Continent Conference championships, including dual regular season and tournament titles in 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 2001-02. The Crusaders were regular season champs in 2000-01 and 2002-03, and won the conference tournament in 2000. Drew was the driving force behind Valpo's international pipeline that produced more than 10 players from Europe, Africa and South America from 1995 to 2003. He has European coaching experience, having served as head coach of the Athletes In Action team which toured Croatia and Bosnia in the summer of 1997. In August 1995, Drew assisted the AIA team that traveled to Germany, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece. Drew is a former first vice president for the NABC Assistant Coaches Committee and previously served on the National Invitation Tournament committee. A 1993 graduate of Butler University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, Drew earned a master's degree from Valparaiso in 1994. Drew worked with Butler's men's basketball program from 1991-93. Drew and his wife Kelly are the parents of one daughter, Mackenzie, and were expecting their second child in October 2007.
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